Massage device



April 18, 1939. Q HEYMANN ET AL 2,154,846

i MASSAGE DEVICE Filed April 8, 1958 Patented Apr. 18, 1939 PATENT .oFFicE N MASSAGE DEVICE George ll. Heymann, Louisville, and Edwardl). Rose, Bowling Green, Ky.

Application April 8, 1938, Serial No. 201,004l

4 claims. (ci. 12s-62) This invention relates to massage devices of the type which employ rubber projections for stimulating the gum tissue by frictioning action, and it comprises a molded s oft rubber head with massage tips which are internally reinforced and stiiened to prevent their flattening and spreading out in use, the cores of such projections being integral with a rigid backing plate from which tongues extend laterally to provide a wide base for secure and stable attachment to a handle.

Massage. devices which have soft rubber projections are desirable in that they do not have the same tendency as hard rubber to lacerate 5 and injure the gums, but on the other hand they are so flexible thatthe frictioning tips collapse under slight pressure and are not suiiiciently stiff to enter the interproximalspaces of the teeth. Furthermore, a soft rubbermassage head is of such resilience through its thickened center portion that adequate stability is not afforded and it is likely to twist upon the handle or to pull from it.

One of the objects which is achieved by our invention is to provide a massage device with projections internally reinforced to prevent their collapse in use. 'l

Another object is to provide a soft rubber massage head with a rigid backing plate securedto it by means of integral projections which are embedded in the rubber massage tips thereof, and which has lateral tongues extending from the backing plate to provide a wide and stable base for attachment to a handle. j I

A further object is to bond the rubber of the massage tips securely and permanently to the embedded cores by forming the latter of sheet metal which is slotted so that the rubber will interlock therewith in the molding operation'.

A still further object is to form the reinforcing cores with their fiat surfaces parallel to the side edges of the head,in order to impart greater iiexibility to the massage projections in lateral than in longitudinal direction. j

Other and further objects will be apparent from the following description which has reference to the drawing, in which y Figure 1 is a perspective view of the implement which comprises the assembled head and handle.

Figure 2 is a sectional view, taken along the line 2-2 of Figure 3.

Figure 3 isa fragmentary sectional view, the

of soft rubber which, however, are

ber head. 'I'he latter must therei'ore be com- Figure 5 is a plan view of the backing plate and I' y integral cores before the latter are bent to ilnal position.

Figure 6 is an end view of the massage head detached from the handle, showing the reinforcing cores in dotted lines. l0

Referring more particularly ,to the various iigures of the drawing:

The soft rubberV massage head I! carries a backing plate Il of stainless steel or other suitab1e material which is mst cut as by die stamp- -15 ing to the shape shown in Figure 5, with a plurality of spaced projections i2 serving ascores for the rubber massage. tips, and laterally extending tongues The projections or cores I2 are slotted as at Il so that the rubber which is 0 molded upon them will flow through the slots and, as shown in Figure 2, will be securely bonded to the embedded metal.

At`their bases the cores are scored along the lines I5 'and are thus more readily bent to up- .25

standing position wherein they lextend parallel in rows with their flat surfaces opposed and presented transversely of the backing plate. The structure bent to shape in this manner is then V- subjected to a spring tempering process to 30 render the projections resilient, and finally, soft rubber is molded and vulcanized upon the core projections and upon the surface of the backing plate.

The laterally extending tongues I3 are left exposed at the sides of the molded rubber head whereby, withI the backing plate, they provide a base which is wider than the area occupied by vthe massage tips and which consequently projects beyond the head as shown more particular- 40 ly in Figure 6. A handle I6 has a groove I'I and overhanging flanges i8 which are spaced apart a distance (d slightly less than the width of the molded rub- 45 pressed slightly Vto enter the tongues in the groove I1 and slide the head into position for use. When it is afterwards released and expanded the rubber is forced into frictional contact with the iianges i8 and the parts are held in as 50 y sembled position.. l

The up-and-down motion which is preferably employed in massaging 'the gums serves to stimulate the gingival margin but not destroy or injure it as is likely to occur with cross brushing.

' To this end the massage tips are somewhat more exible in a direction transverse of the handle due to the positioning of the embedded spring metal cores. However, where the use of the I implement requires greater rigidity, as for example in enteringfthe e tips in the interproximal spaces of the teeth, the handle may be turned and held in vertical position and the end tips used for this purpose. Regardless of the posi- 10 tion in which it is held, however, the rubber' tips will not lacerate the gums since they are soit and elastic; but notwithstanding this they will not spread or collapse, due to their internal reinforcement. At the same time, the wide'and rigid 1| base of the' e head furnishes a stable support for seeming it to a handle and holding it nxedly in place until such time as the user wishes to remove it for cleaning or replacement.

whatwe claim as our invention is:

m 1. A massage device comprising a metalplate with integral cores projecting therefrom at an angle to its surface and a plurality of laterally extending tongues,l a rubber covering i'or said cores of such thickness as to leave vsubstantial v25 portions of said tongues exposed, and a handle member formed with an open groove i'or receiving said device and retaining it by slidably interlocking with said tongues.

2. A massage implement -comprising a metal so plate with opstanding fiat cores covered with soit,

yieldable rubber, a plurality of tongues extending laterally irom the plate, the rubber covering of the cores being oi such thickness as to leave substantial portions of said tongues exposed, and a grooved handle in which said tongues are slidably received .to retain the assembled parts from accidental separation.

3. A e implement comprising a rubber massage head having a sheet metal backing plate 6 with a plurality of spaced core elements and intermediate tongues extending laterally beyond the sides of said rubber head. the said core elements being bent from the plane of the plate and a covered with soft rubber to Vconstitute massage l0 tips of such yielding character as to obviate in-4 jury to the gums but so reinforced internally as to prevent their` collapse in use, and a handle having an undercut groove therein for slidably receiving said laterally extending tongues whereby the 16 parts are retained in assembled position and the message head is supported upon a broad, rigid 4. .A massage implement comprising a rubber massage head having a sheet metal backing plate, 201

metal 4cores projecting from said backing plate and embedded in the rubber of said head to constitute a plurality of massage tips,` tongues `car ried by said backing plate and extending therebeyond, va handle formed with an undercut groove 86 in which the tongues are received, the overhanging flanges of said groove being spaced 'apart a distance slightly less than the span of the rubber head, whereby the rubber will be compressed when the parts are assembled and will frictionally 30 hold .them from accidental displacement.

GEORGE H. HEYMANN. EDWARD D. RosE. 

